Using artificial intelligence planning to automate science image data analysis

In recent times, improvements in imaging technology have made available an incredible array of dormation in image format. While powerful and sophisticated image processing software tools are available to prepare and analyze the data, these tools are complex and cumbersome, requiring significant expertise to properly operate. Thus, in order to extract (e.g., mine or analyze) useful information from the data, a user (in our case a scientist) often must possess both significant science and image processing expertise. f i s article is an extended version of [8] and describes the use of AI planning techniques to represent scientific, image processing, and software tool knowledge to automate knowledge discovery and data mining (e.g., science data analysis) of large image databases. In particular, we describe two fielded systems. The Multimission VICAR Planner (MVP) which has been deployed for since 1995 years and is currently supporting science product generation for the Galileo mission. MVP has reduced time to fill certain classes of requests from 4 hours to 15 minutes. The Automated SAR Image Processing system (ASIP) was deployed at the Dept. of Geology at Arizona State University in 1997 to support aeolian science analysis of synthetic aperture radar images. ASIP reduces the number of manual inputs in science product generation by 10-fold. Introduction Recent breakthroughs in imaging technology have led to an explosion of available data in image format. However, these advances in imaging technology have brought with them a commensurate increase in the complexity of image processing and analysis technology. When a scientist analyzes newly available image data to discover patterns or to c o n f i i scientific theories, they must perform a complex set of operations. First, before the data can be used it must often be reformatted, cleaned, and many correction steps must be applied. Then, in order to perform the actual data analysis, the user must manage all of the analysis software packages and their requirements on format, required information, etc.